CMP green rebrand an exploitive, dirty ploy

Angling to capitalize on financial woes and worries brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, CMP has released a series of ads ennobling New England Clean Energy Connect as an economic life preserver for Mainers. They promise 1,600 new jobs, $300 million in contracts for Maine businesses, hundreds of millions of dollars in utility savings for Maine households — “right when we need it most.” How ungrateful of us to question the generosity of CMP and its multinational corporate stakeholders. But the reality is that the short-term investments associated with NECEC will not translate into lasting gains. Not for working Mainers, and certainly not for the natural world. The 1,600 new jobs promised will swiftly shrink to only 38 permanent positions, and the touted millions in energy savings? Pennies per household per month. (Try not to spend it all in one place, friends!) While any economic boons will be short-lived, the ecological devastation inflicted by the project is sure to last far into the future. A 53-mile-long strip razed through the forest. Thousands of acres of wetland and woodland habitats wrecked. Flooding and erosion caused by Hydro-Quebec’s “clean” mega-dams, which have already brought ruin to the tribal lands of First Nations peoples. The fragmentation of the forest, biodiversity lost: these irreversible harms will be the lasting legacy of NECEC. No matter how tirelessly CMP contrives to re-brand massive ecological disruption as “clean” and “green,” their latest exploitative ad campaign is testament to just how dirty they’re willing to play to make a profit.

Aurora Cobb,
Harpswell

Indiana student wants info about Maine

I am writing to you as part of a class project for the novel The Watsons Go To Birmingham. My classmates and I are contacting newspapers across the country in a state we chose to learn more about. I chose to learn more about the state of Maine because of its absolutely beautiful scenery, coasts, cuisine, and lifestyle! To me, it’s fascinating to learn about different cultures and how other people live across the world, or in this case, the country. I am writing to ask your readers to please write back and tell me why they like Maine, interesting facts about the state, and what we as visitors can do there. They can each write to my school’s address. If they could also include a copy of the newspaper where they saw my letter, I would greatly appreciate it! If you have any questions, please contact my teacher’s email at aweisser@queenofpeace.cc or you may contact her by phone at 574-255-0392 x. 123. Thank you for your consideration!

Charlotte Kemble,
Queen of Peace School
508 Vistula Road Mishawaka, IN 46544

 

 

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